Carbon School District will not be caught off guard, even when it comes to potential pandemics like the swine flu.

At the May 13 board of education meeting, the past few weeks were recounted and the school district's efforts to help deal with the flu in the state were evaluated.

"We are happy to report that, when the swine flu hit, we were prepared. At no time did we feel out of control," said boardmember Barry Deeter.

To avoid a potential panic or overreaction, the board has sent home letters to all parents informing them of the situation and the school district's plan of action.

Action has also been taken to not permit students into school if they are not up to date on all immunizations. The rule applies to all students except homeless and English language learners, for whom the school district can provide the resources to become fully immunized.

The United States Centers for Disease Control is in charge of school closure. If a school has excessive absences, the CDC can decide to close the educational facility.

While no schools in Carbon County have been closed to date, the measure was added to the district's emergency procedures.

When asked what could be improved, Deeter replied that he was pleased with how things worked out, but said everything would have to be more specific in the future.

Aside from the flu, the board approved several items including the school improvement plan for 2009-2010 as well as the revised calendar.

The plan focuses on various elements from professional development for students to parental involvement.

Principals submitted a list of what the individual schools need in accordance with the plan. Nearly every principal's list included smart boards that can project computer images with which a teacher can interact.

"The school improvement plan had to be approved tonight and all the principals had to be present," said superintendent Patsy Bueno.

The money will be available in July for the schools.

Other projects include the renovation of parking lots at Carbon High School as well as the district office. Three firms have responded, but one has been picked that can finish the project on time. Mont Harmon will also have roof work done in phases.

"We need to separate the critical issues from the possible ones," said Bueno.

Possible projects included football fields and a retaining wall at Mont Harmon.

"The state is getting serious about seismic studies," said Bueno, but added that there "kind of nebulous."

A 10-hour, four-day week will be implemented in an attempt to cut costs. It will begin June 1 and continue until Aug. 7. While in effect, no unnecessary computers, electronics or appliances will be turned on and no overtime except for emergencies will be paid.